Shoelaces have traditionally been used to secure a shoe to a person's foot. To maintained the shoe in the secured condition on the person's foot, loosening of the shoelaces is typically restricted by the conventional method of tying a knot in the shoelaces.
Tying knots, however, can be a troublesome, time-consuming process, especially if the shoelaces are small or the person has limited finger dexterity. Also, difficulty is frequently experienced in achieving proper tension when tying shoelaces. For example, in the conventional method of tying a knot in shoelaces, the person must relax the tension on the shoelaces after pulling them tight in order to tie the knot. This provides an opportunity for the shoelaces to loosen up before the knot tying is completed. This can be a real problem with athletic shoes, especially court shoes, where tight lace tension is essential to proper shoe performance and the prevention of foot and ankle injuries.
Furthermore, the convetnional knot tying method does not allow lace tension to be easily adjusted. For example, the material of the shoe stretches and becomes more pliable when it warms up and stress is applied to it from foot movement. This causes the shoe to loosen up on the foot even though the shoelaces have not been loosened. To compensate for the shoe loosening, the wearer has to periodically untie the shoelaces, tighten the shoelaces and then retie the shoelaces. This is an onerous task, especially if a double knot was used as is often done in athletic shoe applications.
Various devices have been developed in the past to alleviate the problems associated with the conventional method of tying cords, such as shoelaces. The devices for securing cords can be classified into two types: mechanical devices and unitary devices. Mechanical devices require several parts to interact to create the cord locking effect of the device. This type of device incurs additional manufacturing expense due to the need for multiple parts and their assembly, and such devices are prone to wear and failure because of the interaction of their parts. Furthermore, the most popular commercial cord locks of this type are not very effective at securing cords in a lasting manner. For example, the shoelaces of a shoe will slowly slip through the device as the shoe is being used which allows the shoe to become loose.
The second type, unitary devices, are fabricated in one piece with one material which is usually a resilient plastic. The locking effect is the result of the device's physical configuration and material properties working together. Such inventions have been developed for applications ranging from cord locks and clips, to implement holders for safety helmets.
One such integral cord lock device which has demonstrated superior ability to grip and hold shoelaces is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,838 to John R. Stenner, the applicant of the subject application. The patented cord lock device has a body of resilient material and a slit through the center thereof that defines two cord opposing gripping surfaces. The cords or laces threaded through the slit are securely engaged by a clamping effect at the slit and surface friction between the cords and the gripping surfaces of the slit. The clamping effect results from pressure being applied to the base of the cord lock device by the shoe to which the cords are attached. One releases the cords by squeezing with the fingers the exterior sides of the cord lock body, being perpendicular to the slit. This causes the slit to pucher and thus spread open the slit walls.
The aforementioned patented cord lock device is capable of securely locking one, two, or more cords, is flexible and very easy to use. The patented cord lock device also allows shoes to be quickly secured and then adjusted while in use and will not allow cords to slip during use. The patented cord lock device further is of integral construction which minimizes production costs and is durable due to the absence of hinges or joints thus minimizing wear points.
While the patented cord lock device firmly retains the necessary tension on the shoelaces, it does fail to control the portions of the shoelaces which extend from the device. These portions can easily catch on various different objects encountered along the path of movement of the user and stepped on by the other foot and thereby hinder the unimpeded movement of the user from place to place.
Consequently, a need exists to find a way to restrain free movement of the free end portions of the shoelaces that protrude from the top of the device.